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Universal design hits the road
By PATRICIA DONOVAN
Contributing Editor
The Milwaukee Institute of Design is the first venue to host the traveling version of "Unlimited by Design," a multi-media, hands-on exhibition of well-designed, attractive products and residential interiors created according to the principles of universal design (U/D).
The exhibit is a presentation of the Rehabilitation Engineering Research Center (RERC) on Universal Design in the School of Architecture and Planning. It opened on July 28 and will run through March 15, 2003.
The show will offer a day-in-the-life tour of residential interiors and items found in and around the home that exemplify U/D principles, which means they can be operated or navigated easily and comfortably by anyone, regardless of age, size, strength or agility.
RERC director Edward Steinfeld, professor of architecture, helped develop the principles that govern the concept of universal design, which he calls an outgrowth of the contemporary emphasis on diversity.
"The show will demonstrate ways in which designers and manufacturers are responding to demographic shifts in the American population," he says, "in particular the fact that it is aging."
"Because of these changes, there is an increasing demand for products like those in the exhibition. It includes full-scale, interactive environments, as well as hands-on displays of more than 200 consumer products that are attractive, colorful and comfortable to operate and adaptable to different situations."
The exhibit originally was conceived by the Cooper Hewitt National Design Museum of the Smithsonian Institution and premiered there in its original form in March 1999. UB is using some material from that show for the Milwaukee exhibit, which includes many additional products.
Among them are:
Familiar products, such as Oxo's "Good Grips" line, known for providing attractive, inexpensive kitchen utensils
Storage units that are operated easily by children, people of short stature and elders
Innovative adjustable faucets, handles, mirrors and small appliances
A "soft" playground system that parents will love as much as children. It presents physical and intellectual challenges to users in a safe environment whose soft surfaces, including the floor, can prevent serious injury and broken bones.
To understand the significance of the universal design movement, Steinfeld says the public needs to reassess the concept of "function."
"During our lifetimes, all of us experience periods of reduced strength and stamina due to injury, illness, pregnancy or age," he notes.
Even a temporary condition can introduce us quickly to a world not designed to accommodate people with restricted movement, an inability to lift or stand, or who have hearing or sight limitations. Even carrying a heavy package can reduce our ability to function efficiently or safely.
"Products designed according to universal-design principles," Steinfeld says, "operate intuitively so they're easy to figure out. In fact, these products have so many advantages over conventional alternatives that they appeal to everyone—that's why we call it 'universal' design."
UB's RERC for Universal Design works with professional, public and consumer organizations nationwide to help develop resources for universal-design practice throughout the country, facilitate a dialogue on its practice and delivery, and increase public awareness. The "Unlimited by Design" exhibition is one of the Center's dissemination projects.
The Center was established two years ago in the School of Architecture and Planning with a $3 million, five-year grant from the U.S. Department of Education's National Institute on Disability and Rehabilitation Research.